I've really been thinking about how I write today. Not just whether it's legible or coherent (or even pretty, because when I was growing up, good penmanship also really mattered), but really, I've begun to really evaluate the process of writing itself: HOW I write. Usually, I sort of sit and stew - just think on some topic of interest - either important - or even mundane, and I really sort of just "weigh and consider" and then, I write.
When I begin, I just write, write, write, and I don't stop to think about "is this good stuff? bad stuff? or even is this God-awful hideous stuff?" -- I just do it, and I believe that, at some point, later on down the road, I'll sort it all out. Maybe. Sometimes I do, but sometimes I don't. It just depends upon what I was writing about. Does this piece matter "enough" to warrant a revision? I'd just not made a conscious decision to really look into my writing and revision philosophies until I took this class. I never really stopped to think about the "how, or the why, or what each of my "steps" of what my writing process was like, but now I have begun, which is a good thing because it will help me to better meet the needs of my students and give them the encouragement to write, too. Not just for an academic grade, but for their souls, their peace of mind, their need to help them to think in depth on some issue, or just to make them feel more connected to their world.
How, then, do we make the decision to revise? What IS important enough? How do we revise? Do we look simply at organizational structure, or do we look into parts, or do we revise some aspect of the particular piece of writing itself - or do we revise the whole thing? These are not issues I had considered much (if at all) before this class, but now, revision is something worth considering in greater detail. Creation is only one-half of the pie. Revision and presentation is what makes the pie attractive and tasty, and makes the casual observer want to not just taste it, but to consume and thoroughly enjoy it.
Your comments and the discussion on the role of revision really made me rethink. I now consider the "if". If I revise this...I never considered that if might be a part of the process. When you write, then you revise. That was my thought process. This has implications in my classroom. Can I get my kids writing? YES! If I stop requiring all writing to be big and published then they can write more for the practice and the process and the feel. Then I can teach the if. Students, if you were to choose this piece for revision what would you do? Why pick that piece as opposed to another piece you have written? I really appreciate the new way I am considering revision.
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